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Maize yield responses to soil organic carbon under integrated soil fertility management in tropical environments
No full textTo ensure the sustainable management of tropical cropping systems, tracking changes in soil fertility and distinguishing long-term crop yield trends from season-to-season fluctuations are essential. However, a scarcity of long-term datasets for tropical systems has left a gap in understanding how soil organic carbon (SOC, used as a proxy for soil fertility) and yield co-evolve in these systems. Here, we present a unique analysis of maize yield and SOC trends in four long-term experiments in Kenya, conducted under contrasting pedo-climatic conditions. Experimental treatments consisted of yearly applications of organic resources with different C:N ratios (12 to 200) at two quantities (1.2 and 4 t C ha-1 yr-1), with and without mineral nitrogen fertilizer (240 kg ha-1 yr-1). At sites with adequate rainfall (475-600 mm in-season rainfall), long-term Maintenance of Maize yields and SOC were strongly correlated. Specifically, 74% of the variation in long-term yield trends across sites was explained by the interaction between site and the trend in SOC, increasing to 84% when adding the interaction with the mineral nitrogen fertilizer treatment. In contrast, no significant correlation between yield and SOC trends existed at the driest site (300 mm in-season rainfall). Differences in the strength of the SOC-yield relationships between treatments with and without mineral N fertilizer were significant at only one of the four sites. In addition, seasonal maize yield variability at three of the four sites was strongly influenced by seasonal mean temperature and total rainfall, overriding the effect of site fertility and SOC in any given season. However, the strength of climate effects varied between sites. We conclude that maintaining SOC is important for sustaining maize yields, but this potential can only be fully realized under favorable climatic conditions, particularly sufficient rainfall
Restructuring lucerne planting can improve production and environmental co-benefits in Northwest China
No full textAs China's cornerstone lucerne production region, Gansu Province plays a pivotal role in sustaining national forage security and livestock systems, yet the climate resilience of this strategic crop remains critically unassessed. Here we present a multi-objective optimization framework integrating process-based modeling and climate change projections under SSP245 and SSP585 scenarios to reconcile lucerne biomass and protein production, irrigation water productivity, and global warming potential from field (GWP-field) trade-offs. We project that lucerne biomass and protein production in Gansu will increase 5.7 %-25.3 % by the 2090 s, but with a 6.0 %-10.1 % decrease in protein concentration, primarily as temperature-affected biomass increases mask the declines in protein concentration. Strategic spatial restructuring of cultivation could achieve synergistic benefits-elevating biomass and protein yield by 1.4 %-2.0 % while simultaneously diminishing irrigation and GWP-field by 1.4 %-3.9 %. The new planting patterns identified 4238-5521 ha of priority expansion in Longzhong and Longdong, where phased cultivar deployment could maximize benefits of production (1.4-2.0 % increase), resource use (3.4-3.9 % decrease), and environmental impact (1.4-1.9 % decrease). However, increasing lucerne production to expand cattle and sheep feeding would result in an additional 17.9-20.0 thousand CO2-eq of emissions due to enteric fermentation and manure management, even taking into account the benefits of restructuring lucerne planting and irrigation saving on GWP. Our findings underscore the imperative of multidimensional optimization in balancing agronomic gains against environmental impacts in cropping systems of arid regions
Protocol paper for healthy ageing for Indigenous communities in India and Sweden with focus on nutritious and culturally adequate food provision
No full textBackground and purpose of studyThe elderly care regime for Indigenous peoples differs between India and Sweden. In India, the family cares for the elderly, while the responsibility in Sweden lies with the authorities. Food insecurity is the main problem in India, while lack of culturally adapted food is a problem in Sweden. In both cases, little knowledge exists on the importance of traditional food in Indigenous elderly care. By examining the use and significance of traditional food in elderly care for the Mal Paharia people in India and the Sami in Sweden, we focus on the following questions: What is the significance of nutritious and culturally adequate food? How are the elderly care regimes for food constituted? How can these regimes be improved using participatory methods? What policy recommendations can be created based on our study?. Our study focuses on the health, organization and welfare aspects of aging from an Indigenous perspective.MethodsA consistent perspective on this study is the decolonialized and liberating action research with Indigenous peoples (so-called PAR). The method is based on a triangulation and mixed-methods design and is made up of four different sub-studies: WP1 on Indigenous life stories about food; WP2 on quantitative surveys and nutrition index; WP3 on care regimes and WP4 on participatory implementation. The research groups in India and Sweden, which include both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from each country, will collaborate through a consortium. Focus group interviews will be conducted both with the elderly (WP1) and with government representatives and recipients (WP3). The quantitative study (WP2) is based on already collected data material from more than 1000 elderly Sami in Sweden, the Sami Health on Equal Terms study and on data to be collected among 200 older Mal Paharia (two-stage clustering) in India. Interpreters will be offered for people who communicate best in their mother tongue. The implementation study (WP4) will be carried out with a bottom-up perspective, with a focus on food safety in India and food sovereignty in Sweden.DiscussionOur study focuses on the health, organization and welfare aspects of aging from an Indigenous perspective. Older Indigenous peoples have knowledge about nutritious diets that are important to utilize, both from a care perspective, and from a longer-term self-sufficiency perspective, where their knowledge can give us keys to a more sustainable, culturally richer and biotope-wise more well-adapted future food system
Effects of tree species richness on topsoil carbon and fungal diversity in European planted mixed forests are modulated by environmental conditions
No full textMixed-species forests have emerged as a promising approach to mitigate climate change impacts through enhanced carbon (C) sequestration while maintaining productivity, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services. However, we still have a poor understanding of the context-dependency of soil C sequestration in tree mixtures, particularly how it is influenced by plant-soil-microbe interactions and environmental conditions.Using soil samples collected from nine European sites within the global network of tree diversity experiments, TreeDivNet, we examined how tree species richness is associated with topsoil C stocks, fungal community composition and diversity, and their interactions. We further investigated the influence of biotic, edaphic, and climatic factors on the relationship between tree richness and topsoil C stocks. We hypothesised that increased tree species richness leads to increased topsoil C stocks and fungal diversity, and that this effect is modulated by site-specific interactions between biotic and abiotic factors.Overall, we found topsoil C stocks in stands with high tree diversity to be greater than in monocultures across the study sites. Lower soil fertility, cooler mean annual temperatures, and lower interannual variability of temperature and precipitation were found to correlate with positive effects of tree diversity on soil C stocks. While tree diversity did not directly influence fungal diversity, topsoil C stocks were positively correlated to fungal species richness. In addition, fungal richness showed a positive correlation with the net diversity effect of tree mixtures on topsoil C, suggesting that fungal diversity may be one of several factors contributing to the context-dependency of tree diversity effects on soil C stocks.Our study shows that tree species diversity can increase topsoil C storage across Europe, influenced both directly and indirectly by fungal diversity and environmental conditions. The mediation of direct and indirect linkages between tree diversity, fungal diversity and topsoil C stocks by local abiotic context highlights the need to improve our mechanistic understanding for site-specific management of soil C sequestration in tree mixtures to promote climate change mitigation in European forests
Commodity risk assessment of Populus alba, Populus nigra and Populus tremula plants from the UK
No full textThe European Commission requested the EFSA Panel on Plant Health to prepare and deliver risk assessments for commodities listed in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as 'High risk plants, plant products and other objects'. This Scientific Opinion covers plant health risks posed by plants of Populus alba, Populus nigra and Populus tremula imported from the United Kingdom (UK) as: (a) 1- to 7-year-old bare root plants, (b) 3- to 15-year-old plants in pots, (c) 1- to 2-year-old cell grown plants and (d) bundles of 1- to 2-year-old cuttings/graftwood (only for P. nigra and P. tremula), taking into account the available scientific information, including the technical information provided by the UK. All pests associated with the commodity were evaluated against specific criteria for their relevance for this Opinion. Two EU protected zone quarantine pests, i.e. Bemisia tabaci (European populations) and Entoleuca mammata, fulfilled all relevant criteria and were selected for further evaluation. For the selected pests, the risk mitigation measures implemented in the technical dossier from the UK were evaluated taking into account the possible limiting factors. Expert judgements were given on the likelihood of pest freedom taking into consideration the risk mitigation measures acting on the pest, including uncertainties associated with the assessment. The age of the plants was considered, reasoning that older trees are more likely to be infested mainly due to longer exposure time and larger size. The degree of pest freedom varies between the pests evaluated, with E. mammata being the pest most frequently expected on the imported plants. The Expert Knowledge Elicitation (EKE) indicated with 95% certainty that between 9730 and 10,000 per 10,000 P. tremula rooted plants in pots (3 to 15 year old) will be free from E. mammata
The nature of a park - managing complexity and unpredictability for the long term
No full textGlobal challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss increase demands on urban green infrastructure (GI) to provide increasingly wide ranges of functions and services. Academia, policy and practice call for long-term perspectives to ensure the sustainability of GI and address solutions by adopting approaches inspired by nature. Meanwhile, current trends in contracted out park management entail attention to economic and technical aspects, overlooking long-term GI development. The interface between long-term ambitions and short-term operational GI practice is addressed through the case of a planned park in Taby municipality, Sweden. The case represents an ambition to integrate design, construction and management of high biodiversity GI through a 'design-by-management' approach, resting on ideas of continuous and adaptive vegetation development after the initial construction. Workshops were conducted with responsible stakeholders in project management, park management and nature management, providing insight into current contexts and future demands of GI establishment and management. Results reveal differences in contract management approaches depending on landscape typology-namely, 'parks' and 'nature'. Project and park managers work with an approach based on adherence to rigid formal documents where dynamics and uncertainty are understood as liabilities. Conversely, nature managers work with strategic development goals as a foundation for a joint view with responsible contractors. The case suggests that existing organizational practices in park construction and maintenance make it difficult to fully embrace the complexity and uncertainty of the intended processes. However, introducing GI management in early design phases offers valuable opportunities to address these challenges strategically, supporting long term sustainability
Nature’s Master of Ceremony: The Populus Circadian Clock as Orchestrator of Tree Growth and Phenology
No full textUnderstanding the timely regulation of plant growth and phenology is crucial for assessing a terrestrial ecosystem’s productivity and carbon budget. The circadian clock, a system of genetic oscillators, acts as ‘Master of Ceremony’ during plant physiological processes. The mechanism is particularly elusive in trees despite its relevance. The primary and secondary tree growth, leaf senescence, bud set, and bud burst timing were investigated in 68 constructs transformed into Populus hybrids and compared with untransformed or transformed controls grown in natural or controlled conditions. The results were analyzed using generalized additive models with ordered-factor-smooth interaction smoothers. This meta-analysis shows that several genetic components are associated with the clock. Especially core clock-regulated genes affected tree growth and phenology in both controlled and field conditions. Our results highlight the importance of field trials and the potential of using the clock to generate trees with improved characteristics for sustainable silviculture (e.g., reprogrammed to new photoperiodic regimes and increased growth)
Microbiological control project of minced meat of wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) in approved establishments in Sweden
No full textThe aims of this study were to enhance knowledge of microbiological status of minced meat of Swedish wild boar and to evaluate its compliance with the Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. The sampling was performed by the official control staff at Swedish Food Agency during 2024. While wild boar has the capacity to harbor a diverse range of zoonotic agents there is a lack of microbiological data on the products derived from wild boar carcasses. More information concerning the microbiological status of minced meat of wild boar is needed. These results could contribute to the development of risk-based management strategies and the verification of control measures through the safe game meat chain. One sample from each of selected 33 approved establishments producing minced meat of wild boar was sent to a commercial laboratory accredited for the analyses. Process hygiene criteria Aerobic Colony Count (ACC) and Escherichia coli were analysed as well as food safety criteria Salmonella spp. and results were assessed according to the microbiological criteria for minced meat. Results show no presence of Salmonella spp. in any of the samples. The 165 units, clustered in 33 plants, had a median for ACC 5.6 log10 colony forming units, cfu/g and E. coli 1.8 log10 cfu/g. However, 25 of 33 samples (proportion 0.758, 95% Confidence interval, CI: 0.577;0.889) were unsatisfactory. In total, about one fourth of samples, (proportion 0.242, 95% C.I: 0.111;0.423) were satisfactory or acceptable. The evidence for a temporal trend from September to December was insufficient. The results show non-compliance with the process hygiene criteria for minced meat of wild boar. Hunters must be informed about the key importance of proficient shooting skills and adequate evisceration procedures. Food business operators must focus on control of incoming carcasses and hygienic handling in every stage of the production. In case of unsatisfactory results according to in-house sampling, effective corrective action should be implemented by food business operator and verified by official control. Our results show that it is possible to produce minced meat of wild boar of good bacteriological quality
A long- distance inhibitory system regulates haustoria numbers in parasitic plants
Get PDFThe ability of parasitic plants to withdraw nutrients from their hosts depends on the formation of an infective structure known as the haustorium. How parasites regulate their haustoria numbers is poorly understood, and here, we uncovered that existing haustoria in the facultative parasitic plants Phtheirospermum japonicum and Parentucellia viscosa suppressed the formation of new haustoria located on distant roots. Using Phtheirospermum, we found that this effect depended on the formation of mature haustoria and could be induced through the application of external nutrients. To understand the molecular basis of this root plasticity, we analyzed hormone response and found that existing infections upregulated cytokinin- responsive genes first at the haustoria and then more distantly in Phtheirospermum shoots. We observed that infections increased endogenous cytokinin levels in Phtheirospermum roots and shoots, and this increase appeared relevant since local treatments with exogenous cytokinins blocked the formation of both locally and distantly formed haustoria. In addition, local overexpression of a cytokinin- degrading enzyme in Phtheirospermum prevented this systemic interhaustoria repression and increased haustoria numbers locally. We propose that a long- distance signal produced byhaustoria negatively regulates future haustoria, and in Phtheirospermum, such a signaling system is mediated by a local increase in cytokinin to regulate haustoria numbers and balance nutrient acquisition